ISLAMADB:  Punjab Govt is planning to establish a new industrial estate near Rawalpindi Ring Road, terming it a major step to accelerate industrial growth and attracting new investment in Punjab.

This was announced by Punjab Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain during his visit to Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industries (RCCI). Speaking to the participants, he said that industrialists are the back bone of Pakistan’s economy growth. He also assured them that their genuine problems are being solved on priority basis.

The meeting was attended by RCCI president Usman Shaukat, Group Leader Sohail Altaf and large number of industrialists. Participants discussed the problems and challenges faces by the business community in Punjab. Participants highly appreciated the direct engagement of Minister’s direct intervention towards solving their issues.

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Shafay Hussain said the Punjab government, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision, had significantly fast-tracked the industrialization process across the province. He shared that industrial units were being set up in the Bahawalpur Industrial Estate for the first time, while construction work on 10 new factories had already commenced at Quaid-e-Azam Business Park in Sheikhupura.

He also highlighted the establishment of a dedicated Garment City in the same business park to support the textile sector, adding that multiple new industrial estates were being developed across Punjab to enhance investment opportunities available in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs). He urged business owners to fully benefit from the incentives currently being offered.

The minister revealed that the Chief Minister had approved a large-scale program to upgrade infrastructure in small industrial estates, which is expected to begin next month. “The Chief Minister will soon meet representatives of all chambers of commerce and industry across the province,” he added.

Taking a firm stance on inactive plots, Shafay Hussain said that allotments where units had not been established as per policy were being permanently cancelled, stressing that previous governments had neglected industrial infrastructure. He noted that the current administration’s reforms had restored investor confidence, leading both local and foreign investors to increasingly prefer Punjab.

He further disclosed that Vivo smartphone manufacturing would begin in Punjab within the next six months and that lithium battery production plants were also in the pipeline.

During the visit, the minister ordered immediate improvement of the link road leading to the Rawat Industrial Estate. Industrialists at the meeting also put forward practical suggestions to further speed up industrial growth.

The session was attended by Chairman PEDMIC Javed Iqbal, Dr. Muhammad Amjad, Chaudhry Umar Bashir and a large number of business leaders and industrialists.